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THIBET.

I cannot tell you much about Thibet; and the reason
is, that so few travellers have been there. And
why have so few been there? Is it because the
mountains are so steep and high, the paths so narrow
and dangerous? All this is true; but it is not
mountains that keep travellers out of Thibet; it is
the Chinese government; for Thibet belongs to China,
and you know how carefully the emperor of China keeps
strangers out of his empire.

How did the Chinese get possession of Thibet?
A long while ago, a Hindoo army invaded the land,
and the people in their fright sent to China for help.
The Chinese came, drove away the Hindoos, and stayed
themselves. They are not hard masters, they govern
very mildly; only they require a sum of money to be
sent every year to Pekin, as tribute.

But though Thibet belongs to China, the Chinese language
is not spoken there.

The people are like the Tartars in appearance; they
have the same bony face, sharp black eye, and straight
black hair; but a much fresher complexion, owing to
the fresh mountain air they breathe.

The Himalaya mountains, the highest in Asia, lie between
Thibet and Hindostan. Their peaks are always
covered with snow, and rapid streams pour down the
rugged sides. The snow on the mountain-tops makes
Thibet very cold; but there are warm valleys where
grapes, and even rice flourish.

The people build their houses in the warmest spots
they can find; they try to find a place sheltered
from the north wind, by a high rock, and lying open
to the south sun. Their dwellings are only made
of stones, heaped together, and the roofs are flat.
Their riches consist in flocks of sheep and goats.
They have, another animal, which is not known in England,
and yet a very useful creature, because, like a cow,
it yields rich milk, and like a horse, it carries
burdens. This animal is called the Yak, and resembles
both a horse and a cow. Its chief beauty is its
tail, which is much finer than a horse’s tail,
and is black, and glossy, soft and flowing. Many
of these tails are sent to India, where they are used
as fly-flappers.

The sheep and goats of Thibet are more useful than
ours; for they are taught to carry burdens over the
mountains. They may be seen following each other
in long trains, with large packs fastened on their
little backs, and climbing up very narrow and steep
paths.

And what is in these packs? Wool: not sheep’s
wool, but goat’s wool: for the goats of
Thibet have very fine wool under their hair. No
such wool is found on any other goats. But though
the people of Thibet can weave common cloth, they
cannot weave this beautiful wool, as it deserves to
be woven. Therefore they send it to a country
the other side of the Himalaya mountains, called Cashmere;
and there it is woven into the most beautiful shawls
in all the world.

But wool is not the only riches of Thibet. There
is gold to be found there; some in large pieces, and
some in small dust. There are also large mines
of copper. And what use is made of these riches?
The worst in the world. With the gold and copper
many IDOLS are made; for Thibet is a land of idols.
The religion is the same there as in China,—­the
Buddhist;—­and that is a religion of idols.